When Shakira screams ‘Barranquilla’ in her songs, it brings attention to her hometown in Colombia. Popular for its Latin American cultural splendour and infamous for some reasons best left unmentioned, Colombia however, has seldom been a site of potential on the global football map.
But this time, Los Cafeteros (Colombia’s national football team) are redefining their reality in ‘futbol’. Emerging as the dark horses of Copa America 2024, the yellow shirts have reached the final of the tournament with a spectacular 28-game unbeaten run.
Under the leadership of former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez, who 10 years back rocked the world by scoring six goals in the 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup, (with his famous chest volley shot against Uruguay being voted as the goal of the tournament) this time assists his nation to score the winner against the same opponent.
Like Colombia, James too has been through many ups and downs in the last decade, be it winning the Champions League final with Real Madrid or missing out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, nevertheless, the ‘James Bond of Banfield’ is not ready to sign off without taking his nation and himself to the summit. And it seems, they have a real chance after beating favourites Uruguay in the semi-final.
The Latin version of David vs the Goliath
Colombia, currently ranked 12th in the world, began the match with a 4-2-3-1 formation while Uruguay (14th in the world) adopted a 3-4-3 tactical display under legendary Coach Marcelo Bielsa.
Living up to the stereotype of Latin America ‘futbol’ the game saw many shades of both fire and ire. Coach Nestor Lorenzo’s men pounced on Uruguay in the 5th minute itself as midfielder Jhon Arias started the attack with an off-target shot. This was followed by Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz heading the ball wide in another Colombian attack.
La Celeste (Uruguay national team) also played attacking football. Captain Federico Valverde found star striker Darwin Nunez in a great pass in the 16th minute with the shot being just wide of the left goalpost. The Liverpool forward also found two more scoring opportunities in the 21st and 27th minutes but put the shot wide on both occasions.
One goal made all the difference
Colombia too missed a few chances, as forward Jhon Cordoba missed a free header in the 33rd minute. But the match finally saw a breakthrough moment when Captain James Rodriguez who currently plays for Sao Paolo FC in Brazil, took a deep corner and found midfielder Jefferson Lerma for a free header in the 38th minute.
Lerma headed the ball down towards the near post, as he beat goalkeeper Rochet with one bounce with the ball going straight into the net, giving Colombia the lead. Yellow shirts in the stadium were ecstatic to see such an energetic performance from their team. The loud atmosphere with an impossible-to-miss energy spoke of the passion involved. The underdogs had surprisingly and inspiringly taken the lead.
Midfielder Richard Rios, who plays for Palmeiras in Brazil, almost doubled the Colombian lead, with his 43rd-minute attempt being saved by Rochet in a fine dive.
Fire, fouls, and football
Ridden with fouls, tackles, and bookings, referee Cesar Ramos had a busy time officiating the semi-final. A brawl broke out between the Latin American teams towards the cusp of half-time with Colombian defender Daniel Munoz seeing a red card.
This was a welcome situation for the sky blue shirts, who however failed to take advantage of having a man up in the second half. While Colombian Captain James Rodriguez was substituted in the 60th minute, Bielsa finally brought in legendary striker Luis Suarez in the 64th minute.
Being handed the captain’s armband upon his arrival at the pitch, ‘El Pistolero’ (Luis Suarez) hoped to inspire his team to another Copa America final like he did in 2011. And Suarez almost achieved the task as his shot hit the outside of the right goalpost in the 71st minute.
Darwin Nunez’s point-blank shot was saved by Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who was instrumental for his team. Uruguayan defenders Ronald Araujo and Valverde combined in a lethal move but failed to put the shot on goal. It was a highly tense match with even James Rodriguez cupping his face in his palms in the dugout.
As the match neared its end, Uruguay began venting their frustrations through fouls. Seven additional minutes after ninety saw a desperate Uruguay knocking on the Colombian goal but were greeted with no answer.
On the contrary goalkeeper Rochet saved the 2011 Copa America champions (Uruguay) the final blushes, as he deflected a final Colombian attempt on goal, with the ball hitting the goal bar and bouncing above.
A dream run into the finals!
With the referee’s final whistle, the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte saw a sea of yellow shirts dancing in a frenzy, with tears of joy flowing from their eyes. Ever since winning its maiden Copa America in 2001 as hosts, Colombia had finally redeemed their worth by earning a hard-fought place in the finals. It was truly a sight to behold this ‘yellow joy’!
The Copa America finals will be played between Argentina and Colombia on 15 July at 5:30 am IST